***
Two hours later, they arrived at the park. The main entrance was closed for winter, and they thought it best not to draw attention to themselves by breaking the chain with a bolt cutters that Jack had brought. They parked their car farther up from the entrance, concealed as well as possible by trees and bushes. A farther two hundred feet down the dirt trail was the beach.
Jane stepped out of the car and experienced a moment of nostalgic bliss as the smell and sound of the sea consumed her senses entirely. The cold air was slightly damp and laden with the scent of salt that proved purifying to her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. All she wanted to do was go down to the water and sit in front of it with her legs drawn beneath her. There had been days in her youth when the scents and sounds of that sea had cured immense heartaches, but there was no time for that now.
They took their supplies and walked the few hundred feet to the cabin. When they reached it, Jack set up everything inside. They had the gas connected straight away, and Nora turned on the fire. There was no electricity in the park at this time of year, so she placed candles around the interior, preparing for the dark. None of them would speak about the danger from which they were running and protecting Jane.
When night came, Jane went out to look at the stars, but they were clouded over. The trees blew in a gentle breeze in the distance, and her cold breath danced in front of her before it disappeared. Jane thought about Max, how he had shown up in her life again without warning and then just as quickly disappeared. Every time she thought about him, a shiver went through her. She wondered about the faculty that allowed her to see him. She suspected that her mother or Jack would probably not be able to see him at all, or, if they could, it would be difficult for them.
She went back inside a few moments later, having had enough of the cold. She saw that Jack was already asleep on the sofa, having elected to stay outside and keep watch. For what, though? Jane wondered in a weary fashion. What did this man Lucas want with her? What was he planning to do? Even after ten years of intermittent wondering, she still didn’t know. She walked down the length of the cabin to her room and got into bed, pulling the covers over her. Even though it was freezing, she drifted off relatively easily into a restless sleep.